A conventional casket has a casket shell adapted to receive the remains of a deceased, and either a single lid or cap, or pair of lids or caps, pivoted to the shell. Single lid caskets are sometimes referred to as “full top” or “full couch” caskets, whereas caskets with separate head end and foot end lids are sometimes referred to as “split top” or “half couch” caskets. During viewing of a body in a split top casket, only the head end cap is raised, while during viewing of a body in a full top casket, the single full length cap is of course raised. In either instance, the interior of the casket is visible. It has heretofore been conventional to trim the interior of the casket (both the interior of the casket shell and the underside of the casket lid) with various decorative interior trim components to present an ornamentally pleasing appearance when the lid or lids is or are open.
In the case of the casket lid or lids, decorative trim components are provided for the underside of the casket lid, visible when the lid is open. A “dish assembly” is typically mounted within the underneath side of the lid. The dish assembly includes a generally rectangular cap panel and four convexedly shaped “puffing members” (or simply “puffings”) mounted around the periphery of the cap panel to the opposed longer sides and the opposed shorter ends of the cap panel. The dish assembly may or may not include a decorative cap panel insert that is removably installable and frictionally retained between the four puffing members of the dish assembly. The cap panel and/or cap panel insert may be covered in decorative fabric or otherwise have ornamentation applied thereto such as embroidery or the like which complements the fabrics used in the interior of the casket shell.
There is a trend in the death care industry towards “personalization”—the personalizing of funeral products and funeral, memorial or other services purchased for the deceased, to provide a more meaningful experience for the family and friends of the deceased. Oftentimes, there is a desire on the part of the deceased's family and loved ones to memorialize the faithfully departed. This may manifest itself in several ways such as, for example, displaying various religious or sentimental items close to or on or in the casket during viewing of the deceased. Another way is that the family may personalize the casket to the deceased by choosing various decorative or ornamental embellishments for the casket that represent a life aspect of the deceased.
To personalize the casket to the deceased, the cap panel, or as is more customary the cap panel insert, can be chosen with a design, emblem, or other ornamentation that portrays a life aspect of the deceased. In this way the loved one of the deceased is able to personalize the casket to the deceased. A funeral home may stock a number of different cap panel inserts from which a customer may select, with each one having a different design, emblem, or ornamentation pre-applied thereto as by embroidery or the like. In this way a family member may choose the cap panel insert that has the appropriate design, emblem, or ornamentation to portray the chosen life aspect of the deceased.
One innovation in the area of personalization of the dish assembly may be seen with reference to the assignee's U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,237,202 and 6,446,315, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in their entirety. These patents disclose a dish assembly that has a cap panel with a framed opening that accepts a framed cap panel insert that is removably received in the cap panel opening frame. The cap panel insert can be personalized to the deceased. The cap panel insert can be removed from the cap subsequent to a memorial service for the deceased and retained by the loved one of the deceased as a memorial to the deceased.
Another innovation in the area of personalization of the dish assembly may be seen with reference to the assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 8,220,119 titled Memorialization Casket And Method, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. This patent discloses a dish assembly that has a cap panel made of magnetic material, and a magnetic ornament, such as a medallion, magnetically attached to cap panel.
Yet another innovation in the area of dish assembly personalization may be seen with reference to the assignee's U.S. Pat. No. 8,307,519 titled Memorialization Casket, hereby incorporated by reference herein as if fully set forth in its entirety. This patent discloses a dish assembly that has a cap panel with at least one pair of opposed retention members sized and configured to receive and retain the opposite side edges of a photograph for display of the photograph.
Despite the advancements made in the area of personalization of dish assemblies of caskets as demonstrated above, there remains room for improvement.